Vodka and Friends
by i-love-svu
Summary: Set during the beginning of season four. Kirsten saves Julie from herself.


**Author's place: I was in the mood for a bit of angst-ridden Julie/Kirsten so I came up with this. Perhaps some of you will like it. :)

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Julie Cooper was going through a rough time, possibly the roughest any mother could ever go through. Four days earlier she had received the devastating news that her daughter was dead. A car accident, the doctor had told her. Julie visibly cringed at the thoughts speeding through her mind. Without thinking, the brunette took a huge gulp of vodka from the bottle in her hand as she strode down her driveway. She had something to take care of, and it needed done now.

Julie stumbled to her car, the keys in her right hand and bottle of vodka in her left. She wasn't thinking clearly as a result of the immense amount of alcohol that she had consumed. A bit of vodka sloshed out of the bottle as Julie clumsily got into the silver car, but she didn't seem to mind. She knew the bar in her home was fully stocked. What did a few drops matter to her?

It took Julie more than a few tries to get the key into the ignition. With her vision blurred and her hand shaking, everything she attempted took longer than she knew it should. Julie thought she heard a car door slamming shut somewhere behind but ignored the sound as she finally managed to get the key into the ignition. Just as she began to start the vehicle, a tapping noise came from the window, causing Julie to look up.

Kirsten Cohen. Julie had not expected to see Kirsten, but there she was. Standing a foot or two away from the driver's side door, the blond was patiently waiting for Julie to roll the window down. As Julie complied with Kirsten's unspoken request, the brunette noticed several emotions swimming in the blue pools of her friend's eyes. She was unable to pinpoint each one but did notice that a certain level of sorrow was present. Julie pressed the automatic button to make her window move down, as she placed the open container of vodka on the floor of the car.

"Going somewhere?" It was obvious from Kirsten's tone that she knew what was going on. Still, Julie tried to hide the fact that she was drunk.

"I have something I need to do," Julie replied softly. She knew that Kirsten was only trying to help, but the brunette wasn't really interested. The combination of her daughter's death and the vodka made Julie care less about everything.

Kirsten reached in through the window and placed a comforting hand on Julie's shoulder. "Give me the keys, Julie." This time her voice was soft, gentle. She had lost the harsh edge that was accompanied by her earlier voiced question.

The brunette did not relinquish the keys as Kirsten had hoped. Instead, she shrugged Kirsten's comforting hand off and placed both hands on the steering wheel. "I told you," Julie said, "I have to take care of something."

"What if someone gets hurt?" Kirsten inquired. She knew that if she kept Julie talking, it wasn't likely that the brunette would go anywhere. Upon the window rolling down, Kirsten had detected the faint odor of vodka, a scent that she was all too familiar with. She said nothing about the smell of alcohol, but focused on getting Julie out of the car.

Julie glanced up at Kirsten, her green eyes filled with unshed tears. Kirsten felt herself wanting to hug the brunette, to lock her arms around the mourning mother and comfort her. But she couldn't. Not yet, anyway.

"I don't care," Julie finally responded.

The blond shook her head. "No, I think you do. I know that you care, Julie."

Closing her eyes, Julie didn't say a word. She lowered her head, staring at the bottle of vodka on the floor. She couldn't make that sort of mistake, drinking and driving. Although drunk, Julie did sort of recall what was right and wrong. She didn't want to give in yet, but the pain and sudden exhaustion she compelled her. Julie turned the car off and handed the keys to Kirsten, where the brunette allowed their hands to touch for a moment longer than necessary. She felt thankful that Kirsten was there to stop her when no one else had bothered to pay attention.

"Come on," Kirsten whispered as she helped Julie out of the car. Julie tripped as she straightened herself up, and Kirsten was right there to steady her. "Just stay close and you'll be fine."

At that moment, Julie was unsure of a lot of things. Why she had decided to get into a car when she was obviously drunk, what had made Kirsten show up and stop her. Julie's mind was spinning as she and Kirsten slowly made their way toward the huge mansion Julie lived in.

"Just a little further." Kirsten's voice was soothing, as she intended it to be. She had sensed that Julie was distraught and all the blond wanted to do was get the brunette into the house. "It's alright, Julie."

Julie and Kirsten's friendship grew a little stronger that night. Kirsten had seen Julie at one of her most vulnerable moments, and the distressed brunette had allowed someone to help her. As they climbed the stairs to the front door, Julie Cooper and Kirsten Cohen knew that they had been through a lot together. They also knew that this was just the beginning of their problems and the new start of their friendship.


End file.
